What other career paths, besides teaching, would be a good path to go on with a Major in Spanish?

Law Enforcement. Certified Interpreter for courts/attorneys. Immigration centers - detention, counselor, health care provider. Travel/tourism/hospitality. Banking.

It's really wide open. What have you done, extra-curricular, jobs, etc? What interests you? There's a high demand for Spanish speakers in certain sectors. But, they would be expected to have some other skills. For example, if you are working for a bank that services upper class Spanish clients, you would be expected to know something about banking, customer service, and the social interaction skills of Spanish culture. Just being an expert in the Spanish language, without certain other skills, may not pave the way to employment. You can acquire a lot of these skills in the types of jobs many of us work while going to school - customer service, call center, retail, food service, etc.

I encourage you to stop for a moment and ask yourself why you want to major in Spanish, when it sounds like you may not know what you want to do? Is it because you already have 6 years, it's all you've ever studied, and it comes easy to you? If so, that may need some reconsideration. If you have interests in another direction, such as banking, you would want to consider a degree in finance or business with a minor in Spanish. You want to find a way to address what prospective employers will see as your areas of weakness.

I know I strayed from the original question. I hope my feedback is of use to you! Good luck!

Hadlea,

Six years is a lot to invest in a language and you say you are planning on continuing. I believe this is a great choice since it is obvious you love the language. That being said, Kim has a lot of good suggestions for options but I would like to mention that the corporate world in the US is needing more and more managers that are bilingual. This skill would add greatly to your resume and put you a step ahead of other candidates. There is also a need for people to translate documents (like work instructions, bids for services, etc.). As Kim states, the options are wide open. I constantly see career opportunities for bi-lingual managers on the career sites like GlassDoor, Indeed, CareerBuilder and LinkedIn. Don't fall into the trap that there is only one path. Think outside the box and you can often make your position with a company by convincing them that there is a need for someone with your language abilities. Not only in the US, but abroad as well.

I hope this helps. Good luck in whatever you choose to do!

Hi Hadlea,

You have been given some excellent advice and guidance already. And I agree that your career options could be very broad with the skill sets you have in Spanish. To help you discover your best career path, I suggest that you take a look at your natural strengths and then look for opportunities that match. My favorite assessment is StrengthsFinder. The resulting report will provide insights into your true strengths and how they are aligned with certain career paths. This along with the suggestions you have been given should provide a well-rounded guideline for you. Best of luck.